Kessel: "Who knows what's going to happen?"

Boston Bruins forward, Phil Kessel (Yes he still is a Bruin for now) talked with AM 640 in Toronto today, (Home of the Toronto Maple Leafs) and discussed his contract talks with the Bruins.

“I have no clue what’s going to happen at this point. Obviously it’s been a slow process, but you never know what’s going to happen. I don’t think (a contract with the Bruins) is any closer than it has been in months’ past, or anything like that,” said Kessel to AM 640. “Obviously you’d like to always stay with the team you were first drafted by, and you never know what’s going to happen in hockey. Hockey’s a weird game: guys get traded all the time and guys move on because it’s a (salary) cap world. Who knows what’s going to happen? We’ll see.”

If Boston and Kessel are not in discussions to bring him back at the moment, this leads to the question, who's going. From my calculations (not official) the Bruins have $2.85 million left under the cap, which is not enough to ink Kessel.

The name that may make the most sense to deal is Chuck Kobasew. Kobasew's salary dump would give the Bruins roughly, $5 million in contract space, creating enough space to sign Kessel. The other names that have been mentioned are Patrice Bergeron and Marc Savard, however trading Savard seems like a stretch.

My prediction would be that there won't be anything settled on this matter until August. One thing is almost certain, a trade is in the works. Even if it is still in the beginning stages.

Hunwick signs two year deal to remain with Bruins

Matt Hunwick and the Boston Bruins avoided a Friday arbitration date in Toronto. Hunwick signed a two-year extension with the Bruins for a total of $2.9 million with an annual cap hit of $1.45 million.

My Take: A solid signing for the Bruins. Hunwick's camp was looking for something in the upper $1 million range while Boston was looking for something in the lower $1 million range. Hunwick, if he continues to improve at a rapid rate, could end up being a steal come 2010-2011.

When Andew Alberts was traded to Philadelphia on October 13, Hunwick got the call and never looked back. A stat worth noting is that the Bruins were 38-8-7 with Hunwick in the lineup, 13-10-3 without him. Coincidence?

Hunwick suffered a ruptured spleen in the first game of the playoffs for Boston and was lost for the rest of the quest. Hunwick's agent, Mark Witkin was quoted as saying, “He’s been training very hard." “He doesn’t think there will be a problem. When he comes back, he’ll be tested. People might think he’ll be a little gun-shy, but he’ll prove to everyone that he isn’t.’’

If this guy stays healthy, Boston's defense will be solid yet again with the likes of Chara, Ward, Wideman, Ference and Stuart joining him.

Bruins sign Hunwick to multi-year deal

Multiple sources have indicated that the Boston Bruins have signed defenceman Matt Hunwick to a multi year contract extension. The deal is believed to be a two or three year deal. The deal has been struck just four days before Hunwick's scheduled arbitration hearing.

The Bruins will officially announce the signing tomrrow and terms of the deal should be in by then.

Hunwick scored six goals with 21 assists as a rookie last season. The 27 points placed him third among Bruins defencemen. He played in one post-season game before having his spleen removed and missing the rest of the playoffs.

Hunwick, 24, was a seventh-round draft pick in 2004 and played four years of college hockey at Michigan.

Kessel talks non-existent, Axelsson likely done as a Bruin

According to the Boston Globe, the Phil Kessel contract talks, if the sides are indeed still talking, have not progressed. The Globe's Kevin Dupont gives what he believes are Kessel's options.

►Cut a one-year deal, accepting only a slight bump over his 2008-09 wages, and use it as a bridge to arbitration as of next July 1. If he popped in another 36 goals or more in 2009-10, he could ring up the Causeway cash drawer for $5 million per year or more next summer. Remember, the players who scored more than Kessel last year will average $6.5 million in the coming season.

►Take something akin to David Krejci money (three years/$11.25 million), forget about finances for 36 months, and come to the table in the spring of 2012, ideally with a more mature and proven overall game.

►Force his way out of town, either by requesting a trade or refusing to sign, leading Chiarelli to deal away a non-performing asset (probably at the post-Olympic trading deadline).

►Wait for a Group 2 offer sheet, of which there have been none this summer, nearly three weeks into the free agency process.

“Kessel is an interesting, exciting player, and he had a very good year,’’ said another NHL GM, insisting on anonymity for fear of being slapped with tampering charges. “But from the outside, I wonder if he’ll get from the level of good player to great player. And great players are those who, by themselves, can lead the team when they are on the ice. In other words, just by being ou

t there you alone can make the team have a better chance of winning. Kessel hasn’t proved that yet. “Don’t get me wrong, he’s a brilliant offensive guy, but he still has to show more before he proves he’s an elite player worthy of elite money.’’

My take: As I said two weeks ago, I think it is a possibility that Kessel takes a one-year deal to a lot of negative feedback. This would allow Kessel to make a huge pay day in July, 2010. However, with Kessel due to miss a fair share of games due to shoulder surgery, he may be nervous about that.

I don't think the time off to start the season will hurt, Kessel missed 12 games last year and still potted 36 goals. I don't see Kessel accepting something in the David Krejci range either, so I don't see any other options. Kessel says he wants to stay here, but he may have to take his one-year deal or request his way out of town. From what I've been reading, an offer sheet for Kessel is not likely.

Also, don't look for anything on Kessel to be completed until after July 24. July 24 is when Matt Hunwick will have his arbitration hearing, and the Bruins will know how much money they will have left under the salary cap to offer to Kessel.

* It has been speculated for a while now, PJ Axelsson has likely played his last game as a Bruin. Axelsson is said to have a multi-year deal worth over $ 1 million. The Bruins would not match anything over the $1 million mark, so that would lead to the end.

Axelsson has played 851 games in black and gold and there would be quite a gap to the next longest tenured Bruin. Tim Thomas would be the longest-​tenured Bruin in terms of years being with the team since 2003, playing in 237 games. Patrice Bergeron would be the new Bruin leader in terms of games played with the spoked-B, having played in 321 games.

Old friend Alberts signs on with 'Canes

Andrew Alberts has inked a two-year deal with the Carolina Hurricanes. Alberts deal is worth a total of $2.1 million. Alberts of course was with the Bruins from 2005-2008. He was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers last season in a cap saving move. Alberts was a Boston fan favorite after attending Boston College and staying in town to play for the Bruins.

Winter Classic confirmed for Fenway; Kessel likely to be back

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman dubbed it the "worst kept secret," while confirming Wednesday afternoon that the Boston Bruins will meet the Philadelphia Flyers in this year's Winter Classic at Fenway Park on Jan. 1, 2010.

The Bruins had a hefty showing at the announcement, including Jeremy Jacobs, Peter Chiarelli, Cam Neely, Aaron Ward, Marco Sturm, Patrice Bergeron and Harry Sinden. Yes, even Harry came up from Florida for a visit. The picture below shows where the ice surface will be placed for the game. The Boston College Eagles and Boston University Terriers are also rumored to be playing in an outdoor game a week or so after the New Year's day tilt.

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Yesterday, I gave you the Matt Hunwick situation and now it's on to Phil Kessel. Peter Chiarelli sat down for an interview with Kathryn Tappen tonight on Sports Desk and very firmly said that Phil Kessel will be back with Boston this season.

Now, General Manager's say this all the time and then something different happens, but the list of suitors for Kessel seems to be dwindling.

The deal may not be done until late July because of Hunwick's arbitration hearing being on July 24. The Bruins will want to see how much money they are left with after the Hunwick hearing.

The beat rolls on here in Bruins nation.

Bruins moving to the FM side of dial; Matt Hunwick Update

An interesting twist today that I found out about courtesy Boston.com. The Boston Bruins will no longer air their radio broadcasts on WBZ 1030 AM, instead they will be switching over to 98.5 FM, to the new ''The Sports Hub" station. Yet another sports station in Boston; like two wasn't enough.

From Boston.com --


The Bruins announced today that they have extended their contract with CBS Radio, but all games this season will shift to 98.5 The Sports Hub, which debuts on Thursday, Aug. 13.


The content previously offered on 98.5 is moving up the dial to become Mix 104, as WBCN (104.1) signs off after 41 years on the air. 98.5 The Sports Hub, which will also air Patriots games starting this season, bills itself as Boston's newest and only FM sports station. The station is expected to be dubbed WBZ-FM.


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In other news, according to sources with knowledge of the Matt Hunwick negotiations, discussions have recently dried up between the two sides. It is looking more and more likely that the Bruins and Hunwick will end up at an arbitration hearing on July 24.


Arbitration would be a good thing for Boston in the short term, as Hunwick would make less than what he is looking for in a long term deal. The only up-side for arbitration for Hunwick is that it would be a one year deal and he could showcase himself this season and hit UFA status next year. Less money this year of course would leave Boston more room to try and tie up Phil Kessel. Nine days left to firm something up, we shall see.

Kessel situation continues to drag along

I have gotten a few messages over the past week asking about the status of Phil Kessel. Well, there isn't much to report here.

Reports have been made that Peter Chiarelli and Phil Kessel's agent have not talked at length about a possible contract. There have been entry-level discussions but nothing solid.

So does that mean PC is waiting out a trade? There have been numerous teams that have been linked to Kessel. The list includes, Toronto, New York Rangers, Vancouver and Edmonton.

Edmonton is a team that really has yet to be discussed, however, it could make some sense. Edmonton was the team that was close to trading for Ottawa's Dan Heatley, but the deal fell through when Heatley said he wasn't interested in waiving his no-trade clause. Edmonton would still prefer Heatley, but if Heatley wants to stay in Ottawa, Edmonton could turn their interest to Kessel.

That being said, Chiarelli said to NESN that he will bring Kessel back. However, Boston is running out of cap space so a deal is likely, whether it involves Kessel or not.